Ohm WALSH 100 MK-218 Reviews
4.72 of 5
MSRP 1395.00Description: The Walsh 100 Mk-2, our least expensive model, works perfectly for 3-D Ohm Theatre systems in smaller rooms, even on action films, and it can produce concert level music in small to medium sized rooms. Their bass goes down to below 30Hz -- you won''t need a subwoofer.

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Submitted by
rebbi
a AudioPhile

Date Reviewed: November 27, 2009

Bottom Line:

I have had my Ohm Walsh 100 Series 3 speakers for about a year, after stepping up from the Micro Walsh Talls. They keep getting better as they break in! Ohm Walsh speakers have a way of energizing the room that, with the right source material, can be quite thrilling. Bass is plentiful and not flabby or boomy, highs are airy and detailed but not "etched," and mids, especially voices, are gorgeous. I was driving them with an 80 w/channel tube/sold state hybrid integrated amp for awhile, then upgraded to separates: a tube preamp with a 150 w/channel solid state amp. Magic!
John Strohbeen at Ohm will go out of his way to make a customer completely happy. And with the 120-day in home audition, you're only set back the cost of shipping if you're not satisfied.
NOTE: The old 100, 200, 300.... line was just superseded by the new 1000, 2000, 3000... line. The new 1000 is actually an intermediate step in driver size between the old Micro Walsh Tall and the old 100. The new 2000 is just slightly larger than the old 100's.

This review is for Walsh 2s from the late 80s. What can I say? After 12 years of Mirage M5 bipolars I came running back to the sound that I love! I last had a pair of Walsh 3XOs but the essentially similiar Walsh 2s were just what I needed for my current room. I missed the image focus and the natural midrange that were lacking in the Mirages. Sure, the M5s threw a bigger soundstage but it was much more diffuse and , amazingly, the Walsh 2s, with a Sherwood receiver, throw out just about as much bass as the Mirages did with a 250 watt Acurus! I even hooked my little NHT SuperOnes up and they sounded a little closed off and lacked the naturalness of the Walshes. The speakers have it all--sweetness, imaging, image focus, transparency, and a huge sweet spot. They are easy to move, not fussy about placement, and the drivers are protected physically as well as thermally. I found myself digging out all manner of CDs and jumping on the computer to order more music from amazon. And that about says it all..I wish all products were like this.

This review is for Walsh 2s from the late 80s. What can I say? After 12 years of Mirage M5 bipolars I came running back to the sound that I love! I last had a pair of Walsh 3XOs but the essentially similiar Walsh 2s were just what I needed for my current room. I missed the image focus and the natural midrange that were lacking in the Mirages. Sure, the M5s threw a bigger soundstage but it was much more diffuse and , amazingly, the Walsh 2s, with a Sherwood receiver, throw out just about as much bass as the Mirages did with a 250 watt Acurus! I even hooked my little NHT SuperOnes up and they sounded a little closed off and lacked the naturalness of the Walshes. The speakers have it all--sweetness, imaging, image focus, transparency, and a huge sweet spot. They are easy to move, not fussy about placement, and the drivers are protected physically as well as thermally. I found myself digging out all manner of CDs and jumping on the computer to order more music from amazon. And that about says it all..I wish all products were like this.

I purchased the Ohm Walsh Series 100-S3 in 2/07. I was intrigued by Ohm Walsh speakers by a one-time encounter with a person (walsh owner) many years prior who swore by their huge soundstage and natural sound. So after some trepidation, I decided to purchase the 100's (without hearing them) which fit my budget much better than the higher end models. Prior to receiving the Ohm's I upgraded my system with a Rotel 1070 pre-amp and power amp. At the Rotel dealer I auditioned the B&W's which traditionally pair nicely with Rotel. The speakers in the $2100 range sounded incredible and I was excited and nervous about how my Ohms would compare. The speakers arrived very solidly boxed. After hooking the system up I played a CD with the wife and kids listening. I was told over and over to expect a significant break-in period with these speakers, but I was still very bummed at how closed and limited the sound was. I was already figuring out the cost of shipping them back and buying the B&W's. Over the next 2 weeks I proceeded to break the speakers in and they opened up like a giant clam bearing a beautiful black pearl. It's hard to figure out what is bigger, the soundstage or my stupid grin when I'm listening to these incredible speakers. I like a wide variety of music, but listen to mainly rock and alot of live Grateful Dead and Phish. These speakers are so warm and produce such a natural sound. They sound great soft, but can shake the house if you want. I love bass, but need it tight and clean and the Ohm's deliver big time. The Ohm website tells it straight.. " they sound like music, not like speakers". With these speakers I feel I'm perpetually in the middle of a great book and can't wait to have the time to sit down and listen to music.

THis review covers the latest version of these speakers - the 100-S3. Before purchasing these speakers, I spent hours in front of my computer researching the speakers and the company. To me, customer service is just as important as the product. I'm amazed at the number of speaker companies that exist, but how many will be around in just a few years, or when you need tp replace that driver? I wanted to buy from a well-established company that had a solid history of taking good care of their customers.

I called OHM, explained what my needs were, told them what electronics I would be using, and gave them my room dimensions. John Strohbeen, company president, suggested the 100-S3. I chose the white oak finish and 2 weeks later they arrived at my doorstep.

These speakers were unlike anything I've ever heard before. I'm niot saying they're better than anything I've heard, just different. The sound envelops you and seems to come from a very wide stage unfolding in front of you. This is unlike cionventional speakers, which fire direclty at you and you can always tell where they are in your room. Also, you can move about the room freely and the sound remains nearly the same in any location within the room. Where these speakers really excel is in how they make human voices sound real. I have not heard any loudspeaker, regardless of cost, render voices with such stunning reality.

After 2 months however, I eventually decided to return them to OHM. This was in no way due to any fault in the speaker. I was after a different type of sound; one that I had become accustomed to with forward-firing conventional speakers.

As expected, OHM promptly refunded the original cost of the speakers, as promised

If you're looking for a new pair of speakers, I would highly recommend you give these a try. You have nothing to lose but your shipping costs and you get to play with them for 4 months.